Hedgehogs in need of human help

for Algemeen Dagblad

It was love at first sight for Sylvia Schootman (69), when she visited a hedgehog shelter 23 years ago. She’s been a volunteer ever since, rehabilitating hedgehogs at the shelter as well as in her home in Scheveningen.

Hedgehogs are having a rough time in The Netherlands. While it’s hard to get exact numbers, the population has been decimated over the past 25 years and only a quarter of baby hedgehogs make it to adulthood. Reasons include urbanization and increased traffic, as well as changing weather patterns. Drier summers result in fewer insects, meaning less food for these carnivorous cuties.

Full story, in Dutch, on AD.nl